Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online tetap mendapat saran dari HR. - Applicants who do not pass the online job interview still receive advice from HR.

Pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online tetap mendapat saran dari HR.

Applicants who do not pass the online job interview still receive advice from HR.

Breakdown of Pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online tetap mendapat saran dari HR.

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Questions & Answers about Pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online tetap mendapat saran dari HR.

In this sentence, does pelamar mean “the applicant” or “the applicants”? How can I show singular or plural?

Indonesian does not always mark singular vs. plural, so pelamar by itself can mean “an applicant” or “applicants”, depending on context.

To make it explicit:

Singular:
- seorang pelamar = one applicant
- pelamar itu = that / the applicant
Plural (especially for people):
- para pelamar = (all) the applicants
- pelamar-pelamar = applicants (reduplication; less used with this word in everyday speech than para pelamar, but still possible)

So the sentence Pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online tetap mendapat saran dari HR. can be understood as:

“Applicants who didn’t pass…” (most natural reading),
unless the larger context clearly focuses on just one person.

What is the function of yang in pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online?

Yang introduces a relative clause, similar to “who / that / which” in English.

pelamar = applicant(s)
yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online = who did not pass the online job interview

So:

Pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online
= “Applicant(s) who did not pass the online job interview”

Structure:

[Noun] + yang + [clause describing the noun]

This is extremely common in Indonesian:

orang yang bekerja di sini = the person who works here
perusahaan yang besar = the company that is big / the big company
buku yang saya baca = the book that I am reading / I read

Here, yang connects pelamar with the descriptive clause tidak lulus wawancara kerja online.

Why is tidak lulus used instead of something like gagal? Do tidak lulus and gagal mean the same thing?

Both are related to “failing,” but they’re used a bit differently.

lulus = to pass (an exam, a test, a selection, an interview)
tidak lulus = to not pass
gagal = to fail (more general “to fail at something”)

In this sentence:

tidak lulus wawancara kerja online
= “did not pass the online job interview”

This sounds neutral and formal, like HR or policy language.

You could also say:

gagal dalam wawancara kerja online = failed in the online job interview

That’s also correct, but tidak lulus is very typical when talking about selection processes, tests, exams, interviews. It focuses more on the result (not passing), while gagal can sound a bit stronger or more emotional in some contexts.

So the choice of tidak lulus matches the HR/administrative tone.

In wawancara kerja online, what is the structure? Which word modifies which? Why is the order like that?

wawancara kerja online is a noun phrase:

wawancara = interview
kerja = work / job (here: job)
online = online

The basic noun is wawancara (“interview”), and the other words modify it:

wawancara kerja = job interview
wawancara kerja online = online job interview

In Indonesian, modifiers usually come after the noun:

wawancara kerja = (lit.) interview job → job interview
rumah besar = house big → big house
rapat bulanan = meeting monthly → monthly meeting

So you don’t say online wawancara kerja, you keep wawancara in front, then the details:

wawancara (interview)
wawancara kerja (what kind of interview? job)
wawancara kerja online (what kind of job interview? online)

Is kerja here a verb (“to work”) or a noun (“work / job”)? How is it different from pekerjaan?

In this phrase, kerja functions as a noun, meaning “work / job”.

wawancara kerja = job interview

About the words:

kerja can be:
- a verb:
  - Saya kerja di Jakarta. = I work in Jakarta.
- a noun:
  - mencari kerja = to look for work / a job
pekerjaan is clearly a noun: “work, job, occupation, task”
- Dia sedang mencari pekerjaan. = He/She is looking for a job.

In wawancara kerja, using kerja is more natural than pekerjaan.
wawancara pekerjaan would sound odd.

So, think of wawancara kerja as a fixed, natural collocation for “job interview.”

What does tetap mean here, and why is it placed before mendapat?

tetap here means “still / nevertheless / even so”. It shows that despite not passing, they still receive advice.

tetap mendapat saran = still receive advice / nevertheless receive advice

Placement:

tetap usually comes before the verb/adjective it modifies:
- Dia tetap datang. = He/She still came.
- Mereka tetap tenang. = They remained calm.
- Pelamar … tetap mendapat saran. = The applicants still receive advice.

You can’t naturally move tetap after the verb, e.g.
✗ mendapat tetap saran (incorrect)
✔ tetap mendapat saran

Comparison with masih:

masih = still (continuing state)
- Dia masih bekerja di sana. = He/She is still working there.
tetap = remains / stays / still (often with contrast)
- Dia tetap bekerja di sana walaupun gajinya kecil.
  = He/She still works there even though the salary is small.

In the given sentence, tetap emphasizes the idea of “even though they failed, they still get advice.”

What’s the difference between mendapat, mendapatkan, and menerima? Could I replace mendapat here?

All three relate to “getting/receiving,” but with slightly different flavors.

mendapat
- Base meaning: to get, to come to have
- Often a bit more neutral/shorter.
- Example:
  - Dia mendapat hadiah. = He/She got a prize.
mendapatkan
- Often similar to mendapat, sometimes a bit more explicit or active (to obtain).
- Example:
  - Dia mendapatkan pekerjaan baru. = He/She obtained / got a new job.
menerima
- More like “to receive (and accept)”
- Often used when you receive something given to you (letters, offers, guests, awards).
- Example:
  - Dia menerima surat. = He/She received a letter.
  - Dia menerima tawaran itu. = He/She accepted the offer.

In this sentence:

tetap mendapat saran dari HR
= still get / receive advice from HR

You could say:

tetap mendapatkan saran dari HR – also correct, slightly longer
tetap menerima saran dari HR – also correct, a bit more like “receive/accept advice”

All three are acceptable here; mendapat is concise and natural.

Does saran work like the English word “advice”? Can it be plural?

Yes, saran is very similar to “advice” in English:

It is normally treated as uncountable in Indonesian.
You don’t normally say “sarans”.

Examples:

Terima kasih atas sarannya.
= Thank you for the advice. / Thank you for your suggestion(s).

To talk about more than one piece of advice:

beberapa saran = several suggestions / some advice
banyak saran = a lot of suggestions
dua saran = two suggestions

So mendapat saran dari HR can correspond to “get advice” or “get some suggestions” from HR.

What exactly does HR mean in Indonesian here? Is it an English word being used directly?

Yes, HR here is borrowed directly from English “Human Resources.”

In Indonesia, people often say:

HR (pronounced roughly like English)
HRD (from “Human Resources Development”) – very common in Indonesian companies
bagian HR / bagian HRD = the HR department
pihak HR = the HR party / the HR side (i.e., HR people)

So saran dari HR = advice from HR (the HR department / HR staff).

More formal variants:

saran dari bagian HRD
saran dari departemen SDM (SDM = Sumber Daya Manusia = Human Resources)

Why is it dari HR instead of oleh HR? When do I use dari and when oleh?

dari = from (source or origin)
oleh = by (agent in a passive sentence)

In the given sentence:

… tetap mendapat saran dari HR.
= “… still receive advice from HR.”

This is an active construction: pelamar (subject) mendapat (get) saran (object) dari HR (from HR).

If you changed it to a passive sentence, you’d use oleh:

Saran tetap diberikan oleh HR kepada pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online.
= Advice is still given by HR to applicants who did not pass…

So:

Use dari for “from (a source)” in active sentences:
- Saya mendapat email dari HR. = I got an email from HR.
Use oleh for “by (doer/agent)” in passive sentences:
- Email itu dikirim oleh HR. = The email was sent by HR.

Is this sentence formal? How might it look in more casual spoken Indonesian?

Yes, the original sentence is formal / semi-formal, suitable for written company policies, announcements, or official information.

Original:

Pelamar yang tidak lulus wawancara kerja online tetap mendapat saran dari HR.

A more casual, spoken version might look like:

Kalau nggak lolos interview kerja online, pelamar tetap dapat saran dari HR.
Pelamar yang nggak lolos interview online tetap bakal dapat saran dari HR.

Changes in casual style:

tidak → nggak / gak (informal “not”)
lulus → lolos (very common with selection/filters: lolos seleksi)
wawancara → interview (English loanword, very common in speech)
mendapat → dapat (shorter, everyday form)
sometimes add bakal or akan to emphasize “will”

The meaning stays the same, but the tone shifts from formal HR language to something you might say in conversation.